A court in Moscow arrested William Browder in absentia on charges of organizing a criminal community.

The Tverskoy Court of Moscow granted the petition of the investigation for the arrest in absentia of the founder of the Hermitage Capital fund, William Browder. It is reported by Interfax.

“The court ruled: to choose a measure of restraint in respect of Browder in the form of detention for a period of two months, calculating the period from the moment the accused was extradited to the territory of the Russian Federation or from the moment he was detained on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Judge Aleksey Krivoruchko announced the decision.

Browder was charged in absentia with organizing a criminal community using his official position. According to investigators, he created a criminal group that committed economic crimes, including tax evasion, embezzlement of Russian budget funds and money laundering. The damage from Browder's actions is estimated at more than 10.5 billion rubles.

The businessman has been put on the international wanted list.

• A new criminal case against William Browder was opened in November. Previously, a businessman in Russia was twice sentenced in absentia to nine years in prison for fraud, tax evasion and deliberate bankruptcy. Browder himself says he is being persecuted because he revealed how high-ranking security officials stole funds from the Russian budget.